Jens-Ole Köhrsen

Selected Publications

• Koehrsen, Jens (2021) “Muslims and Climate Change: How Islam, Muslim Organizations, and Religious Leader Influence Climate Change Perceptions and Mitigation Activities”, in: WIREs Climate Change 12 (3), p.1-19
• Koehrsen, Jens (2018) “Exogenous shocks, social skill, and power: Urban energy transitions as social fields“, in: Energy Policy 117, p. 307–315;
• Koehrsen, Jens (2018) “Religious Agency in Sustainability Transitions: Between Experimentation, Upscaling, and Regime Support“, in: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 27, p. 4–15.
• Koehrsen, Jens (2017) “Boundary Bridging Arrangements: A Boundary Work Approach to Local Energy Transitions.”, in: Sustainability 9 (424).
• Koehrsen, Jens (2016) Middle Class Pentecostalism in Argentina: Inappropriate Spirits. Leiden/Boston: Brill.
• Koehrsen, Jens (2015) “Does Religion Promote Environmental Sustainability? – Exploring the Role of Religion in Local Energy Transitions”, in: Social Compass 62 (3), p. 296-310

• Jensen, Maja Kofod; Iqbal, Sana; Jäckel, Marie & Köhrsen, Jens-Ole (2026). Conflict dynamics in greening processes: the case of Swiss churches. Journal of Contemporary Religion. ISSN 1353-7903. 41(2), p. 311–328. doi: 10.1080/13537903.2026.2697595. Full text in Research Archive
• Hearn, Adam Xavier; Schubert, Iljana; Köhrsen, Jens-Ole; Sohre, Annika & Hamed, Hagar (2026). Barriers, enablers and critical collaborations in the case of Positive Energy Districts. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. 8, p. 1–14. doi: 10.3389/frsc.2026.1808466. Full text in Research Archive
• Roysen, Rebeca; Prado, Masiel Melissa Pereira; Bruehwiler, Nadine; Kos, Lasse & Köhrsen, Jens-Ole (2026). Transitions towards the pluriverse: place, difference, alliances and autonomy in two Latin American. Sustainability Science. ISSN 1862-4065. doi: 10.1007/s11625-026-01831-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article proposes an alternative analytical framework to sustainability transitions research (STR) by drawing on critical scholarship on grassroots innovations and post-development studies. Breaking with the fixation of STR on scalable innovations and socio-technical regime change, this alternative framework conceptualizes sustainability transitions as transitions towards the pluriverse (TTP). TTP offers a bottom-up, decolonial and context-sensitive approach to transitions that acknowledges the diversity of transition pathways and places local communities and grassroots innovations at the center of transition efforts. Our framework consists of four analytical dimensions: place, difference, alliances and autonomy. We apply this framework to two case studies of ecovillages in Latin America, and answer the following research question: In what ways do ecovillages promote (or fail to promote) TTP in Latin America? We compare the two ecovillages in relation to the four dimensions and analyze the challenges they face in promoting TTP. The results show that socio-economic differences between place-based groups create power asymmetries that shape local transition pathways. The specificity of each place influences the range of strategies available for grassroots initiatives to form alliances with other actors. Recognition of their role within local power dynamics and a commitment to social justice are crucial elements for building horizontal collaborations and fostering autonomy. This article contributes to a theory of change for TTP by reflecting on the role of ‘modern’ individuals, the state and the market in the creation of the pluriverse.

• Roysen, Rebeca; Ayala, Diego Hernando Florez; Ramos-Mejía, Mónica; Kos, Lasse; Bruehwiler, Nadine & Köhrsen, Jens-Ole (2026). Replicating grassroots innovations in the Global South: A case study of ecovillages for marginalized groups in Colombia. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. ISSN 2210-4224. 58, p. 101068–101068. doi: 10.1016/j.eist.2025.101068. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens (2025). Innovation and Religion. In Schulz-Schaeffer, Ingo (Eds.), Handbook of Innovation: Perspectives from the Social Sciences. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783031251436. p. 1–17. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-25143-6_5-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This contribution provides an overview of the relationship between innovation and religion. It addresses this relationship (1) as processes of internal religious innovation and (2) as external innovation effects of religion. Processes of internal religious innovation include the emergence of new religions and the change of existing religions. Globalization, migration, and pluralization spur innovations within the religious field. As a theoretical approach, economics of religion helps to analyze religious innovations as processes of adaptation. By contrast, external innovation effects of religion go beyond the religious field, as religions can influence technological, economic, and social transformations. Scholarship has studied the impact of religion on entrepreneurship, technological change, and different development fields (e.g., health care, education). The review of existing studies shows that religion is neither fundamentally opposed to innovation nor generally conducive to it. Relating the research more closely to innovation studies could have systematizing effects on studies about religion and innovation.

• Roysen, Rebeca; Fagundes, Guilherme Moura; Kos, Lasse; Bruehwiler, Nadine & Koehrsen, Jens (2025). Building a World-ship: A decolonial approach to just energy transitions. Human Geography. ISSN 1942-7786. 18(2), p. 213–228. doi: 10.1177/19427786251326605. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article contributes to discussions on just energy transitions by analyzing a community project in the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Instituto Favela da Paz (IFDP) is an urban ecovillage created by slum-dwellers who develop projects and courses on renewable energies, urban permaculture, healthy food, and arts. We draw upon decolonial ecology framework (DEF) developed by Caribbean scholar Malcom Ferdinand to analyze their innovations. Based on participatory network mapping, participant observations, interviews, and focus groups, we address the following research questions: In what ways does IFDP promote just energy transitions? And how can the DEF help us understand these types of grassroots innovations that are emerging in the peripheries of the Global South? Instituto Favela da Paz promotes just energy transitions through the dissemination and democratization of renewable technologies, and by reframing narratives that keep in place the exploitation of cheap labor, especially from racialized groups. Instituto Favela da Paz and its partners engage in activities that reframe meanings associated with time, energy, money, and Black identity through their practices of aquilombamento. We conclude that the DEF enriches the theoretical tools available to analyze just energy transitions by bringing to the forefront the exploitation of human body energy—be it in the form of slavery, cheap labor, or gender inequality—that maintains unsustainable ways of inhabiting the Earth. It also helps to identify the emergence of alternative ways of living that contribute to the creation of a more just and shared world.

• Bruehwiler, Nadine; Koehrsen, Jens; Malin, Julius; Roysen, Rebeca & Kos, Lasse (2025). Does religious difference have an impact on the diffusion of sustainable innovations? A mixed-methods analysis of ecovillages worldwide. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. ISSN 2210-4224. 57. doi: 10.1016/j.eist.2025.101024. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Religion is seen as potential leverage for sustainability transitions by scholars and other actors. However, so far, little is known about how religion influences the diffusion of sustainable practices. Drawing from a global survey of 130 ecovillages, this mixed-methods study investigates the role of religious difference in the diffusion activities of ecovillages. We integrate survey results with findings from 24 semi-structured interviews. The results show that ecovillages employ self-secularization strategies. Self-secularization strategies enable ecovillages to collaborate with other actors for local sustainability transitions despite differences in religious beliefs and practices. This study is the first to examine the role of religion in the diffusion activities of grassroots groups engaged in sustainability. The results illustrate the potential of religious beliefs and practices to act as barriers and/or catalysts to sustainability transitions.

• Bruehwiler, Nadine; Hearn, Adam; Roysen, Rebeca; Kos, Lasse; Koehrsen, Jens & Hausmann, Roman [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2025). Energy justice in innovative living spaces: Examining positive energy districts and ecovillages in Europe. Energy Research & Social Science. ISSN 2214-6296. 127. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104248. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Energy transitions play a crucial role in addressing today's social, economic, and ecological challenges. However, recent studies show that energy transitions may reproduce current injustices and potentially create new injustices. To address the equitable distribution of benefits and burdens which may arise with energy-related innovations, energy justice has become a key issue in energy transitions research. This article focuses on how innovative living spaces (ILS) – namely Positive Energy Districts and ecovillages in Europe – address energy justice. These two forms of ILS represent top-down (Positive Energy Districts) and bottom-up (ecovillages) sustainability solutions. So far, their respective potentials and shortcomings in terms of energy justice and what we can learn from them are insufficiently understood. Based on an exploratory qualitative multiple case study, this article addresses this gap. To study energy justice in ILS, we extend the dominant theoretical discourse on energy justice to include energy of human, animals, plants, and ecosystems, as well as understanding animals, plants, and ecosystems as stakeholders of energy transitions. The results suggest that although both forms of ILS are currently niche developments, both are promising approaches to improve energy justice. At the same time, our analysis highlights the complexity of implementing energy justice on the local level. Design (bottom-up, top-down), emphasis (ecological solutions, energy technologies) and (non)intentionality affect energy justice in ILS. Our empirical insights suggest that ILS can inspire other residential areas to reflect on energy justice issues, and closer cooperation between Positive Energy Districts and ecovillages may contribute to creating more awareness for energy justice.

• Koehrsen, Jens & Ives, Christopher D. (2025). The multiple roles of religious actors in advancing a sustainable future. Ambio. ISSN 0044-7447. 54(8), p. 1318–1333. doi: 10.1007/s13280-025-02166-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Religious actors have great potential for influencing transformation processes toward environmentally sustainable societies. Influencing peoples’ worldviews, values, and group norms, they can promote (or block) pro-environmental attitudes, lifestyles, and political decision-making. Yet, current scholarship is ambivalent about religion’s contribution to environmental sustainability. This perspective article outlines various roles religious actors can assume in sustainability transitions. We suggest a systematization of four roles—(1) pioneering, (2) path-following, (3) passive observing, and (4) prohibiting change—and portray five conditions that influence and catalyze these roles—(a) theological commitment, (b) internal support, (c) resources, (d) social and political influence, and (e) wider societal conditions. Generating this conceptual clarity is crucial as it allows researchers and policy actors to recognize the diversity of religious expressions with respect to sustainability action, and grasp the conditions under which religious actors are best equipped to address sustainability challenges.

• Koehrsen, Jens; Buzzi, Ann-Lea & Hearn, Adam (2025). Are religious organizations becoming green? Faith communities’ role in advancing environmental sustainability in Switzerland. Sustainability Science. ISSN 1862-4065. doi: 10.1007/s11625-025-01766-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Scholarship increasingly regards religion as a crucial factor for transitions towards environmentally more sustainable societies. Despite the rising interest in religion, little is known about the environmental activities of religious organizations. This study explores in what ways religious organizations are becoming environmentally engaged and contribute to broader societal change. In order to address this question, a survey with 1,395 religious organizations from different faith traditions and additional in-depth interviews were conducted in Switzerland. The results show that religious organizations increasingly engage in environmental activities and, thereby, contribute to advancing environmental sustainability in society at large. Over a third of the congregations in the survey (36.5%) reported that there had been a process leading to more environmental awareness in the congregation. The vast majority of the studied congregations (86%) undertake environmental activities. The engagement concentrates on recycling (68% of congregations) and receiving “green” electricity (49%), while 40% of congregations state that they have organized at least one celebration with a focus on the environment in the last 24 months. However, the stimulus for this religious engagement often comes from society. Religious organizations path-follow societal developments and focus mostly on technological change. Assuming a path-following role, they provide pioneering impulses in wider society only to a minor extent. These insights nuance claims about the innovative role and the “greening” of religions.

• Hearn, Adam; Buzzi, Ann-Lea; Malin, Julius & Koehrsen, Jens (2024). Sustainable development through religious environmental engagement? Evidence from Switzerland. Sustainable Development. ISSN 0968-0802. doi: 10.1002/sd.3064. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article examines the engagement of religious organizations in addressing environment-related sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Switzerland and its barriers. To this end, it draws upon semi-structured interviews with church representatives who are actively engaged in environmental sustainability. We use a planetary boundaries framework with five capitals; natural and physical capital, which refer to the environment (e.g., work to increase biodiversity) and buildings/physical structures (e.g., through PV panels/energy retrofitting projects); financial capital (e.g., cost-effectiveness); social/symbolic capital (e.g., public campaigning) and human capital (e.g., educational campaigns). The results show that substantial steps are being taken to increase engagement. This is largely due to faith-based organizations such as Oeku and platforms such as Eco-Eglise. However, approaches remain heterogeneous with significant tensions, particularly concerning legislative and financial issues, staff role ambiguity, and staff and time resource management. This article contributes to academic research on sustainable development by shedding light on the barriers of religious engagement in environment-related SDGs. At the same time, it highlights the potential of umbrella organizations in augmenting and accelerating religious environmental engagement.

• Glaab, Katharina & Koehrsen, Jens (2024). Klimawandel und Religion. Ein interdisziplinäres Gespräch, Religion – Wirtschaft – Politik. Wege zur transdisziplinären Forschung. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. ISSN 9783756008759. p. 272–277. doi: 10.5771/9783748916154-271. Full text in Research Archive
• Roysen, Rebeca; Kos, Lasse; Brühwiler, Nadine; Boyer, Robert & Koehrsen, Jens (2024). Rethinking the diffusion of grassroots innovations: an embedding framework. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. ISSN 0040-1625. 200. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.123156. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper conceptualises the ways grassroots innovations (GIs) influence sustainability transitions. While research on GI diffusion tends to use the three-pathway model (replication, scaling up and translation), this paper rethinks GI diffusion through the lenses of an embedding framework. We illustrate this framework by applying it to the empirical case of ecovillages in the Global North and South. The results show that GIs become embedded in wider society through different dynamics: expansion, reframing, circulation of knowledge, shifting material arrangements and replication. The embedding framework brings clarity to diverse dynamics of diffusion and is particularly able to grasp the cultural, cognitive, economic and environmental impacts of GI initiatives.

• Hearn, Adam; Buzzi, Ann-Lea; Huber, Fabian & Koehrsen, Jens (2024). The perceived potential of religion in mitigating climate change and how this is being realized in Germany and Switzerland. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. ISSN 2190-6483. doi: 10.1007/s13412-023-00884-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Scholars of religion have repeatedly debated and contested the role of religion and spirituality in combatting climate change. In recent years, the potential of religion has also become an issue among natural scientists, politicians, environmental organizations, and civil society. Indeed, the potential of religion to mitigate climate change is perceived both internally and externally, and various expectations are placed on religion. This article examines the perceived potential of religion in mitigating climate change and how this is being realized. Based on 38 interviews, conducted with representatives from religious communities and umbrella organizations in Germany and Switzerland, we focus on the areas of values, political influence, and materialization. Our results show that the potential of religion in addressing climate change remains largely unfulfilled despite increasing steps in this direction.

• Rice, Deborah; Koehrsen, Jens & Mattes, Jannika (2023). The Resources of Institutional Entrepreneurs in Different Structural Settings. Organization Theory (OT). 4(2). doi: 10.1177/26317877231180630. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  As agents of strategic institutional change, institutional entrepreneurs (IEs) draw resources from their structural environment to alter the structural context in which they are embedded. In this article, we explore which resources IEs mobilize in different structural settings. We distinguish between (positional or free) field resources and personal resources, all of which may be material, cultural, social, symbolic or political in kind. Our review of leading case studies of institutional entrepreneurship shows that centrally positioned IEs draw primarily on organizational positional resources. By contrast, peripherally positioned IEs rely mainly on the skilful mobilization of free resources as well as on the personal resources of individuals. Also the field’s degree of institutionalization has an impact on IEs’ resources: in emerging fields where field positions and field boundaries are not yet defined, resources must be imported from mature fields. Furthermore, although resource-poor peripheral IEs may set off institution-building processes in emerging fields, they are usually superseded by central organizational actors during later stages of institution-building.

• Koehrsen, Jens; Roysen, Rebeca; Kos, Lasse & Brühwiler, Nadine (2023). Global South. Soziologie und Nachhaltigkeit. ISSN 2364-1282. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens; Wendt, Björn; Henkel, Anna & Barth, Thomas (2023). Nachhaltigkeit. Soziologie und Nachhaltigkeit. ISSN 2364-1282. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens & Burchardt, Marian (2023). Religion and Development: Alternative Visions, Credibility, and Networks as Religious Assets for Sustainable Development? Progress in Development Studies. ISSN 1464-9934. doi: 10.1177/14649934231206302. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Religious organizations have become crucial actors in international development. However, scholarly discussions have largely ignored the dynamics that shape their impact on the ground. This article examines these dynamics by assessing three claims about the specific developmental assets of religious organizations: (a) their credibility in the eyes of their beneficiaries; (b) their control over far-flung social networks; and (c) the idea that religious organizations pursue alternative visions of development. Drawing on existing research, we study these claims in two development sectors: healthcare and environmental sustainability. The results complicate linear narratives of the positive impact of religions on development. Dynamics internal to the religious field sometimes lead to practices that run counter to the Sustainable Development Goals, while institutional pressures in the field of international development push religious organizations to become more similar to their secular counterparts. We suggest the need for alternative frameworks that go beyond prevailing secularization and de-secularization narratives to pay attention to the institutional field dynamics that shape religious development initiatives.

• Koehrsen, Jens (2022). Tensions in Religious Environmentalism. In Koehrsen, Jens; Huber, Fabian & Blanc, Julia (Ed.), Religious Environmental Activism: Case Studies of Emerging Conflicts and Tensions in Earth Stewardship. Routledge. ISSN 9780367862534. p. 1–25. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens (2022). Soziologie und Klimawandel: Die 2008er & 2010er Diskussion um die Rolle der Soziologie in Current Sociology & Sociological Research Online. In Rödder, Simone (Eds.), Schlüsselwerke der sozialwissenschaftlichen Klimaforschung. Transcript Verlag. ISSN 9783837656664. p. 399–405. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens & Wendt, Björn (2022). Time for Change? Zeit als Herausforderung für Nachhaltigkeitspartizipation. GAIA. ISSN 0940-5550. 31(4), p. 215–221. doi: 10.14512/gaia.31.4.5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Nachhaltigkeitspartizipation ist ein zeitlich strukturierter Prozess. Anhand einer Fallstudie zeigen wir, wie die zeitliche Strukturierung mit klassischen Herausforderungen von Partizipation (Exklusivität, Wissens- und Machtasymmetrien, Kompromiss- und Entscheidungsdruck) verbunden ist und welche Aspekte Planer(innen) bei der Gestaltung der Prozesse berücksichtigen sollten.

• Koehrsen, Jens (2022). Sustainability and Post-Secularity. In Bornemann, Basil & Knappe, Henrike (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Democracy and Sustainability. Routledge. ISSN 9780429024085. p. 189–204. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens & Brühwiler, Nadine (2022). Taylor, Bron (2010): Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future. In Rödder, Simone (Eds.), Schlüsselwerke der sozialwissenschaftlichen Klimaforschung. Transcript Verlag. ISSN 9783837656664. p. 203–208. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens (2022). Religion and Ecology. In Pellizzoni, Luigi (Eds.), Handbook of Critical Environmental Politics. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781839100666. p. 282–294. Full text in Research Archive
• Köhrsen, Jens-Ole (2021). Machtdynamiken in urbanen Energiewendeprozessen: Eine feldtheoretische Perspektive. In Henkel, Anna; Köhrsen, Jens-Ole; Wendt, Björn; Barth, Thomas; Block, Katharina; Pfister, Thomas; Böschen, Stefan; Dickel, Sascha; Görgen, Benjamin; Rödder, Simone & Gross, Matthias (Ed.), Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit. Transcript Verlag. ISSN 9783837651997. p. 391–401. doi: 10.1515/9783839451991-020. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens-Ole & Huber, Fabian (2021). Religion und ökologische Nachhaltigkeit: Zwischen grünen Glaubensgemeinschaften und Ökospiritualität. In Henkel, Anna; Köhrsen, Jens-Ole; Wendt, Björn; Barth, Thomas; Block, Katharina; Pfister, Thomas; Böschen, Stefan; Dickel, Sascha; Görgen, Benjamin; Rödder, Simone & Gross, Matthias (Ed.), Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit. Transcript Verlag. ISSN 9783837651997. p. 337–352. doi: 10.14361/9783839451991-017. Full text in Research Archive
• Köhrsen, Jens-Ole; Blanc, Julia & Huber, Fabian (2021). How “green” can religions be? Tensions in Religious Environmentalism. Zeitschrift für Religion, Gesellschaft und Politik (ZRGP). ISSN 2510-1218. doi: 10.1007/s41682-021-00070-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Scholarship has suggested a “greening” of religions, supposing that faith communities increasingly become environmentally friendly and use their potentials to address environmental challenges. This contribution points to the problems of the supposed “greening” by indicating the ongoing disagreements in many religious traditions over environmental engagement. The disagreements show that religious environmentalism is an embattled terrain that involves actors with different interests, backgrounds, and understandings of their traditions. The authors illustrate that tensions are an inherent part of religious environmentalism, becoming manifest in different views and theologies, ambivalences, misunderstandings, and sometimes mistrust. They distinguish between four types of tensions: (1) intradenominational tensions, (2) interdenominational tensions, (3) interreligious tensions, and (4) religious-societal tensions. By drawing attention to the tensions of religious environmentalism, this contribution sheds light on the struggles and limitations that religious environmentalists face in their ambitions to address climate change and other environmental challenges.

• Köhrsen, Jens-Ole (2021). Muslims and Climate Change: How Islam, Muslim Organizations and Religious Leaders influence Climate Change Perceptions and Mitigation Activities. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change (WIRESs). ISSN 1757-7780. 12(3), p. 1–19. doi: 10.1002/wcc.702. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A growing body of research stresses the importance of religion in understanding and addressing climate change. However, so far, little is known about the relationship between Muslim communities and climate change. Globally, Muslims constitute the second largest faith group, and there is a strong concentration of Muslims in regions that are particularly affected by global warming. This review synthesizes existing research about climate change and Muslim communities. It addresses (a) Islamic environmentalism, (b) Muslim perceptions of climate change, and (c) mitigation strategies of Muslim communities. The analysis shows that there is no uniform interpretation of climate change among Muslims. Based on their interpretations of Islam, Muslims have generated different approaches to climate change. A small section of Muslim environmentalists engages in public campaigning to raise greater concern about climate change, seeks to reduce carbon emissions through sociotechnological transition efforts, and disseminates proenvironmental interpretations of Islam. However, it remains unclear to what extent these activities generate broader changes in the daily activities of Muslim communities and organizations. Contributions to this research field are often theoretical and stress theological and normative aspects of Islam. Empirical studies have particularly addressed Indonesia and the United Kingdom, whereas knowledge about Muslim climate activism in other world regions is fragmented. Against this backdrop, there is a need for comparative studies that consider regional and religious differences among Muslims and address the role of Muslim environmentalism in climate change mitigation and adaptation at the international, national, and local scales.

• Köhrsen, Jens-Ole & Huber, Fabian (2021). A field perspective on sustainability transitions: The case of religious organizations. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. ISSN 2210-4224. 41, p. 408–420. doi: 10.1016/j.eist.2021.09.005. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article proposes the field perspective as an approach to explain organizational activities in sustainability transitions. It applies this framework to analyze environmental activities of religious organizations in Germany and Switzerland. Religious organizations can become important actors in transitions by drawing on their extensive membership, material resources, and public visibility. However, to date, research is dearth about the conditions that facilitate transition activities of religious organizations. The empirical insights of this study show differences in the activities (a) between religious incumbents and challengers and (b) between the supra-local and local scale. The field perspective allows for explaining these differences as outcomes of the organizations’ power positions and diverging institutional logics on the supra-local and local scale. Rather than religious beliefs, the interplay of power and scale-specific logics shapes activities of religious organizations.

• Köhrsen, Jens-Ole; Henkel, Anna; Barth, Thomas; Wendt, Björn; Böschen, Stefan & Block, Katharina [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2021). Intransparente Beliebigkeit oder produktive Vielfalt? Konturen einer Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit. Leviathan - Berliner Zeitschrift für Sozialwissenschaft. ISSN 0340-0425. 49(2), p. 224–230. doi: 10.5771/0340-0425-2021-2-224. Full text in Research Archive
• Köhrsen, Jens-Ole; Dickel, Sascha; Pfister, Thomas; Rödder, Simone; Böschen, Stefan & Wendt, Björn [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2020). Climate Change in Sociology Still Silent or Resonating? Current Sociology. ISSN 0011-3921. 68(6), p. 738–760. doi: 10.1177/0011392120902223. Full text in Research Archive
• Köhrsen, Jens-Ole (2020). How to Negotiate Class Ambiguity: A Boundary Work Approach. Zeitschrift für Soziologie. ISSN 0340-1804. 49(5-6), p. 356–370. doi: 10.1515/zfsoz-2020-0029. Full text in Research Archive
• Köhrsen, Jens-Ole (2019). From the “What” and “How” to the “Where”: Distinction as a Matter of Place. Cultural Sociology. ISSN 1749-9755. 13(1), p. 76–92. doi: 10.1177/1749975518819669. Full text in Research Archive

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• Liedhegener, Antonius & Koehrsen, Jens (2024). Religion – Wirtschaft – Politik. Wege zur transdisziplinären Forschung. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. ISBN 9783756008759. 553 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens; Huber, Fabian & Blanc, Julia (2022). Religious Environmental Activism: Case Studies of Emerging Conflicts and Tensions in Earth Stewardship. Routledge. ISBN 9780367862534. 340 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Henkel, Anna; Köhrsen, Jens-Ole; Wendt, Björn; Barth, Thomas; Block, Katharina & Pfister, Thomas [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2021). Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit. Transcript Verlag. ISBN 9783837651997. 452 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Senn, Jeremy; Stolz, Jörg & Koehrsen, Jens (2025). National Congregations Study Switzerland (NCSS) congregational census, waves 1 and 2 (2008–2009, 2020–2021). doi: 10.48573/6TQZ-Q565. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens (2023). Religionen als Weltretter? [Journal]. bref magazin. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens (2023). Religion und Ökologie. In Sonnenberger, Marco; Bleicher, Alena & Gross, Matthias (Ed.), Handbuch Umweltsoziologie. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783658372224. doi: 10.1007/978-3-658-37222-4_48-1. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens & Huber, Fabian (2021). Green Religion And Eco-Spirituality: Empirical Insights On Religious Engagement Against Climate Change. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens (2021). Religion and Climate Change. Full text in Research Archive
• Koehrsen, Jens (2021). Religion und Umweltbewegung. [Radio]. SRF (Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Die Kirche könnte mehr für die Umwelt tun Die Kirche gelobt schon lange, sich für die Umwelt stark zu machen. Eine Studie zeigt aber, dass mehr Engagement möglich wäre .

• Koehrsen, Jens (2021). Umweltschutz für viele Religionen „Luxusthema“. [Internet]. ORF Österreichischer Rundfunk. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Christliche Kirchen und andere Religionsgemeinschaften betonen oft, wie wichtig die Umwelt ist. In einer Studie wurde nun untersucht, wie „grün“ Religionsgemeinschaften in der Schweiz und Deutschland sind. Sie zeigt auf: Religionsgemeinschaften haben beim Umweltschutz Nachholbedarf, für manche ist er ein „Luxusthema“.

• Bruehwiler, Nadine; Roysen, Rebeca; Ngo, Thao; Kos, Lasse & Koehrsen, Jens (2025). How do ecovillages disseminate sustainable practices and ideas? A stakeholder report of the research project Ecovillages as Incubators for Sustainability Transitions (EVIST). Research Gate. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.11761.54885. Full text in Research Archive
• Stolz, Jörg; Koehrsen, Jens; Senn, Jeremy; Bonnot, Christophe; Buzzi, Ann-Lea & Hearn, Adam (2024). Sécularisation et inclusion. L’évolution des groupes religieux locaux en Suisse, 2008 – 2022. Social change in Switzerland . doi: 10.22019/SC-2024-00005. Full text in Research Archive

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